Heavenly Phoenix Mountain had always been associated with legends of the Phoenix, and Tian Yao’er’s original form was a special bird, harboring a mysterious flame within her body, which led Gu An to speculate about her connection with the legendary Phoenix.
“Master, what are you looking at?” Tian Yao’er asked nervously.
Tianqing and Tian Bai looked up at the sky and saw nothing, which made them anxious.
Could there be something invisible to them that had infiltrated the Outer World Cave?
Gu An’s gaze shifted to Tian Yao’er. He saw the causal links related to the Phoenix on her, which, while faint, were indeed there, proving that Tian Yao’er was a descendant of the Phoenix.
He was not afraid of the Phoenix coming after them because the causal connection was too weak; Gu An had been unable to detect it even in the Divine Thought True Immortal Realm before, indicating that Tian Yao’er was separated from the Phoenix by a vast expanse of time.
That Phoenix was just a Carefree Primordial Immortal in terms of cultivation.
Gu An spoke, “Do not worry, I was just looking at your ancestor. The reason for your unease is because your ancestor is restless, and it’s affecting you through your bloodline.”
Ancestor?
With both her parents deceased, Tian Yao’er had long regarded Gu An as her only support. Hearing now of the existence of an ancestor, how could she remain indifferent?
She opened her mouth but eventually fell silent.
Curious, Tianqing asked, “Master, who is her ancestor, and what is their cultivation level?”
Tian Bai also looked at Gu An, her large eyes filled with anticipation.
Gu An counter-asked, “Do you still remember the legend of Heavenly Phoenix Mountain?”
At this remark, Tian Yao’er’s expression changed—anticipation, nervousness, resentment, various emotions flashed through her eyes. For this moment, she seemed unlike her usual naive and romantic self.
“Could the Miss be a descendant of the Phoenix?” Tian Bai gasped, eyes wide.
Gu An smiled and nodded, saying, “However, the bloodline has been diluted over who knows how many generations, and the descendants of that Phoenix are beyond count.”
He wasn’t joking. Following the causal thread of the Phoenix, he saw the myriad causalities throughout the world related to it, with countless descendants like Tian Yao’er, even the ones in the sea.
After hearing these words, Tian Yao’er seemed to shed a burden, visibly relieved, and a smile appeared on her face.
Gu An looked at her and asked with a smile, “Were you afraid just now?”
Tian Yao’er nodded, “I don’t want any ancestor; I just want to be with you, Master. When I was imprisoned by the Heaven Phoenix Demon Mother, when I was hunted, no ancestor showed up.”
Knowing about the existence of an ancestor, her heart was more filled with worry and fear; she was afraid that Gu An might send her to that ancestor.
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Gu An moved forward, rubbed her head, and laughed, “What are you thinking? How could I possibly abandon you? Even if the Phoenix came for you, I wouldn’t agree. I’ve raised you for so many years; how could it be for nothing?”
Hearing this, Tian Yao’er’s smile brightened.
In reality, if she wanted to leave, Gu An wouldn’t stop her; now he was powerful enough not to fear exposing the Outer World Cave.
But he feared that saying he was willing to let Tian Yao’er go would instead make her anxious.
Tianqing and Tian Bai didn’t think too much. They were more curious about how powerful the Phoenix was.
“Don’t ask anymore. The Phoenix is definitely powerful. Be careful, or it might invade your dreams and devour you.”
Gu An hummed, frightening the two, and they dared not ask further questions.
It wasn’t until noon that Gu An left.
He went to the North Sea Mountain, where, as the Mountain God, he met with Sage Xuan Miao.
Sage Xuan Miao had grown accustomed to a life away from worldly affairs, spending his days tending flowers and herbs, content and at peace, occasionally discussing the Paths with passing cultivators—a life he found pleasant enough.
When Gu An, transformed into a small Mountain God figure, approached him, he was no longer as constrained as he had been hundreds of years ago.
He stood up and bowed.
Gu An sat on the eaves and asked, “Have you encountered any confusion in your recent cultivation?”
Though the life span offerings from the Mountain God Temple weren’t much, Sage Xuan Miao’s sincerity touched him, so he was willing to give guidance on cultivation.
Sage Xuan Miao shook his head and smiled, “Not at the moment.”
He looked up at the Mountain God on the eaves, hesitated for a moment, and asked, “In your view, do the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court qualify as immortals?”
This question he had long wanted to ask but feared offending.
The methods by which the founder of the Immortal Dynasty bestowed blessings on all beings had shocked him, overturning his imagination.
In his view, not even a Mountain God could achieve that.
Now that he heard the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court were about to go to war, it left him with complex feelings.
How could immortals quarrel over power and profit like mortals?
If the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court were not truly immortals but merely powerful beings, why should humans be stronger than immortals?
Various confusions took root in Sage Xuan Miao’s mind, making him even more eager for answers.
Gu An, legs crossed, looked down at Sage Xuan Miao. His eyes, hidden beneath the mask, were so profound as he asked, “What do you think an immortal should be like?”
“Like you, protecting the common folk without being swayed by worldly interests.”
“If that’s the case, why ask a question to which you already know the answer?”
“I just…”
Sage Xuan Miao frowned, unsure how to express himself.
Gu An asked, “Do you think they are stronger than me, making you unsure of who the true immortal is?”
Sage Xuan Miao nodded, watching Gu An nervously, fearful of offending the Mountain God.
“Have you considered what it means to cultivate with me? If you are so fixated on immortals, why not think about becoming one yourself?”
Faced with the Mountain God’s inquiry, Sage Xuan Miao’s eyes widened, and he asked in astonishment, “How could I possibly become an immortal?”
“Your confusion is the confusion of the entire world. What you see might not be correct. The world is waiting for the true immortal to appear. Why couldn’t you be that immortal?” Gu An said meaningfully.
In fact, he was bluffing, wanting to keep Sage Xuan Miao focused on cultivation.
Over the years, whenever someone came by, Sage Xuan Miao would zealously preach about the Mountain God’s power and compassion, leading to more and more people calling mentally for the Mountain God’s help when in distress.
Though Gu An paid no attention, those people’s hopes formed a source of power similar to Qi Fortune, which he called Desire Power.
Perhaps the true path for an immortal required walking the way of Desire Power, to truly feel the suffering of all beings.
However, Gu An’s pursuit wasn’t immortality; he sought longevity.
If Sage Xuan Miao so desired to be an immortal, Gu An wouldn’t mind nurturing him to become a true immortal.
To become an immortal, the most crucial aspect is the ability to save the common folk; simply having a good heart isn’t enough.
After listening to Gu An, Sage Xuan Miao fell silent, his heartbeat accelerating.
Gu An leaped down from the eaves, walked out of the courtyard, and went to pick medicinal herbs, with Sage Xuan Miao hurriedly following.
“I… can someone like me really become an immortal?” Sage Xuan Miao asked cautiously.
Without turning his head, Gu An replied, “Immortality isn’t about high status. With the right intention, it can be achieved.”
Sage Xuan Miao’s expression changed, deeply moved by these words.
After a long time.
The two returned to the courtyard.
Gu An was about to leave when Sage Xuan Miao suddenly looked up at him on the eaves and said, “Mountain God, I’ve figured it out. I want to become an immortal, I want to establish the Heavenly Court!”
Gu An stopped walking, turned his head to look at him, and asked in surprise, “The Heavenly Court?”
“That’s the celestial authority from Journey to the West. In the book, the celestial beings fight demons and control the weather for the sake of the common folk. Although the Heavenly Court in the story has its flaws, at least they care about the common folk.”
Sage Xuan Miao spoke earnestly, and by the end, his facial expression turned determined, his eyes gleaming brightly.
Gu An smiled and said nothing more, then disappeared from the eaves.
Sage Xuan Miao, filled with grand ambitions, sat cross-legged, deciding to cultivate diligently from now on, not to disappoint the Mountain God’s faith in him!
…
Spring arrived.
This New Year was livelier than usual because the Supreme Sect invited many schools to join the Spring Festival celebration.
The Third Medicine Valley was festively decorated and noisy, all disciples wearing smiles.
As night fell, on a temporary stage, disciples took turns performing, keeping the festive atmosphere lively and ebullient.
Gu An swayed his bowl of wine, his gaze inevitably drifting towards the night sky.
Stars filled the sky, glittering and beautiful, as if even the heavens were celebrating.
Meanwhile, in Outer Heaven, the tension between the sects of the Great Heavenly Spirit Land and the Heavenly Demons was escalating.
Gu An scanned the area; there were more than a million Heavenly Demons, the weakest of them in the Loose Immortal Realm, including two Divine Thought True Immortals. This was why the Great Heavenly Spirit Land dared not make a move rashly.
He saw cultivators from the Holy Court negotiating with a Divine Thought True Immortal realm Heavenly Demon. It seemed that the Heavenly Demons were the stronger side.
The current Holy Court was not as formidable as the legends suggested.
The Heavenly Demons were also testing the stance of Shengtian, while the Holy Court side was evasive, clearly hiding something.
According to Gu An’s judgment, a great battle between the two sides would soon erupt.
Gu An had no intention of getting involved, given the Immortal Dynasty and Holy Court were handling things.
Having just made a breakthrough, he wasn’t eager to collect life spans and preferred to lay low.
Long Qing came over, clamoring to have a drinking contest with his master. How could Gu An indulge him? He welcomed all challengers.
The wine in Medicine Valley was Spiritual Wine, and even cultivators could get drunk if they had too much.
It wasn’t until late into the night that the Third Medicine Valley finally quieted down.
The next morning, Gu An left the Third Medicine Valley. He arrived at Mystic Valley and after chatting with the disciples for 30 minutes, he entered the Eight Scenic Caves.
From a distance, he saw a huge creature lying under the Green Vine Tree.
It was a black Sea Dragon!
[Sky Dragon (Void Crossing Realm fifth level): 387/8000/18000]
Gu An looked at the Sky Dragon’s maximum life span and felt slightly disappointed.
It seemed the Sky Dragon had not encountered much fortune over the years.
The Sea Dragon lying under the tree sensed something, opened its eyes, and upon seeing Gu An, rapidly raised its head.
“Master!”
The Sea Dragon cried excitedly and then rushed towards Gu An, stirring up a gust of wind that shook the surrounding flora.
Its body quickly shrank to only two meters in length, trying to jump into Gu An’s arms, but Gu An pressed down its dragon head with the Fate Determining Pen, keeping it at bay.
“Why are you here?” Gu An asked.
The Sea Dragon chuckled, “Ancient Sky Sect came to participate in the Supreme Sect’s Spring Festival, and I sneaked along, wanting to come see you.”
Gu An, unamused, said, “You are the Holy Beast of the Ancient Sky Sect. Do you think you could really sneak along without notice?”
He had already sensed someone approaching the Eight Scenic Caves!
He wasn’t angry, even somewhat excited.